Hit and run victim Kulwinder Gill is shown in an RCMP handout photo. A fatal hit and run in Abbotsford, B.C., four years ago that turned into a homicide investigation has now led to murder charges against Gill's husband and three other people.Handout
/ THE CANADIAN PRESS

He appeared briefly in Abbotsford Provincial Court Monday, along with co-accused Gurpreet Singh Atwal, 26, and Jaspreet Singh Sohi, 28, both of whom are also charged with first degree murder.

A fourth accused, Sukhpal Singh Johal, is facing one count each of conspiracy to commit murder and accessory after the fact.

Kulwinder Kaur was walking with her husband along Townshipline Road when she was run down by a pickup truck about 7:35 p.m. on April 27, 2009.

Her husband flagged down police and led them to a ditch where her body was found. Emergency responders were unable to revive her.

A truck believed to have been used in the crime was found about 90 minutes later.

Investigators determined the case was murder and pieced together enough evidence to support charges against Gill and three others.

Supt. Kevin Hackett, head of the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team, said Monday that the troubling murder has been a top priority for his squad.

"We have led a determined and focused investigation and as a result have now obtained the evidence required to bring the investigation to where it is today," Hackett said.

He said he continued provide more detail about how the suspects were identified and pursued because the case is now before the courts.

"But I can say it appears that this was well planned and deliberate," Hackett said. "To the family of Kulwinder Gill, we are sorry for your loss. We thank you for your patience and trust. I understand that the passing years have been very difficult."

Abbotsford Police Deputy Chief Rick Lucy said his officers worked closely with IHIT on the case.

He revealed that the victim had made a 911 call in February 2006 after a domestic incident, but then hung up the phone.

When police arrived, she told them there was a verbal altercation and nothing more.

"We are very pleased to see this investigation result in these arrests and charges," Lucy said. "It is one of the top priorities of the Abbotsford Police Department to work relentlessly towards a goal of stopping domestic violence."

Iqbal Gill, along with his two sons, is also before the courts on drug and gun charges laid after police executed a search warrant at an Abbotsford house he owned on March 17, 2011.

Inside the house, police found a submachine gun, an assault rifle, a hand gun, ammunition, 1,040 marijuana plants, $4,000 in cash, a bullet-proof vest and a device for bypassing a B.C. Hydro meter to steal electricity.

Gill was charged with production of a controlled substance, possession for the purpose of trafficking, unauthorized possession of a firearm and two counts of possessing a prohibited weapon without a licence.

He is due back in Abbotsford Provincial Court on those charges on Sept. 12, 2013.

As well, the B.C. Civil Forfeiture Office has also filed a suit against Gill and two other owners of the property, claiming it was purchased with the proceeds of crime and requesting B.C. Supreme Court to order it forfeited.

"Prior to May 17, 2011, proceeds from the sale of controlled substances were used to make material contributions to equity in the property," the suit says.

It says Gill and the other owners got the down payment to purchase the property in 2003 "from the prior sale of marijuana."

"The property is an instrument of unlawful activity."

Gill and the other defendants filed a response in court saying the down payment did not come from selling pot and that they had never been involved in growing marijuana.

"The defendants had no idea whatsoever about the use of this property for growing marijuana," the response says. "The defendants rented a part of their property to persons who are now unknown who engaged in the growing of marijuana."

Their response also says they "suffered financial loss and damages to their property due to the actions of the persons now unknown who rented the property."

Gill also pleaded guilty in New York state in 1997 to conspiracy to distribute heroin.

Then active in a faction of the International Sikh Youth Federation, Gill was arrested in a Manhattan hotel room where agents found two kilograms of heroin.

Authorities at the time alleged his ISYF faction was involved in drug smuggling to support their separatist cause.

Abbotsford man charged in wife's 2009 murder

Video

Today's News

Best of Postmedia

Be afraid. Be very afraid. Ignore the diversions in the United States: athletes kneeling or standing during the national anthem; Republicans flailing and failing again on health care; a kick-boxing creationist possibly becoming senator from Alabama. Calamity looms elsewhere. We are hurtling toward war with North Korea. It may be as early as next month. […]

It wasn’t in the middle of a farmer’s muddy field or deep in the boreal forest where the Canadian oilsands truly struck pay dirt. It was inside Fort McMurray’s recreation centre. More than 1,400 oilpatch workers, corporate executives, provincial leaders and the country’s prime minister assembled 21 years ago in northern Alberta to grasp a […]

Google’s powerful search engine is defeating some court-ordered publication bans in Canada and undermining efforts to protect young offenders and victims. Computer experts believe it’s an unintended, “mind-boggling” consequence of Google search algorithms. In six high-profile cases documented by the Citizen, searching the name of a young offender or victim online pointed to media coverage […]

Almost Done!

Postmedia wants to improve your reading experience as well as share the best deals and promotions from our advertisers with you. The information below will be used to optimize the content and make ads across the network more relevant to you. You can always change the information you share with us by editing your profile.

By clicking "Create Account", I hearby grant permission to Postmedia to use my account information to create my account.

I also accept and agree to be bound by Postmedia's Terms and Conditions with respect to my use of the Site and I have read and understand Postmedia's Privacy Statement. I consent to the collection, use, maintenance, and disclosure of my information in accordance with the Postmedia's Privacy Policy.

Postmedia wants to improve your reading experience as well as share the best deals and promotions from our advertisers with you. The information below will be used to optimize the content and make ads across the network more relevant to you. You can always change the information you share with us by editing your profile.

By clicking "Create Account", I hearby grant permission to Postmedia to use my account information to create my account.

I also accept and agree to be bound by Postmedia's Terms and Conditions with respect to my use of the Site and I have read and understand Postmedia's Privacy Statement. I consent to the collection, use, maintenance, and disclosure of my information in accordance with the Postmedia's Privacy Policy.